Jail Bird by Jessie Keane

Author:Jessie Keane [Jessie Keane]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
ISBN: 9780007332892
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2011-03-21T22:00:00+00:00

34

Just after the builder left, saying that the plasterer would be in within a week to skim the wall, Jack phoned. She picked it up in the kitchen.

‘Money’s running out,’ he said.

‘I’ll see you right,’ said Lily. Money–thankfully–was the least of her problems.

‘I know you will. You okay now?’

‘Yeah. Fine. All things considered.’ Lily still felt embarrassed that she’d weakened in front of Jack. ‘You?’

‘So-so. Monica’s still giving me earache; nothing new there.’ She could hear a smile in his voice.

‘You ought to get back with her,’ said Lily. ‘If you still love her. Which I think you do.’

‘Maybe. You could be right. But only after we’ve wrapped this case up.’

‘Wasn’t that the trouble in the first place? You working too hard?’

‘Hey, what do you want? Me romancing Monica, or helping you?’

‘Helping me,’ she sighed.

‘That’s all I needed to hear. Because I’ve got another one,’ he said. ‘Another one of Leo’s women.’

Lily sat down. ‘Right,’ she said.

‘Listen, I’ve been thinking this is maybe not such a good idea, you talking to these women on your own, or with me. Maybe I should talk to them first, what do you think?’

After I nearly took Reba Stuart’s head off, thought Lily, filling in the blanks.

‘Whether it’s a good idea or not, I’m doing it,’ said Lily, although she wanted to end this; she felt weary and worried the whole time, and the strong feeling of distaste–even sickness–she felt as each new flaw in Leo’s character was revealed, was draining her of strength.

‘I talked to Alice Blunt’s relatives,’ she said.

‘Okay. And?’

‘And Alice was anorexic, needy and mentally weak. To Leo it might have been a fling, a bit of light relief, but for her it was serious. Probably she clung on too hard and he said, whoa, what is this? It broke her when he dumped her, Jack. Broke her in two.’

Jack was silent.

‘You think the government’s putting out the loot for the clinic?’ asked Lily. ‘Only it’s nice. Good furnishings, nice grounds, even a lake. I just wonder.’

‘I can try and find out.’

‘Can you do that?’

‘Sure.’

‘This other one…’

‘Oh. Yeah.’ He sighed. ‘This one’s a bit closer to home, Lily. Might cause trouble.’

‘What, more than I’ve had already?’ Lily was almost smiling at that. Was he serious?

Leo’d had Reba Stuart, and dull Matt the accountant’s wife Adrienne, and he’d had poor deluded little Alice Blunt who’d worked in one of his offices back in the day. Now what?

‘What is it, some girl who worked in the club?’

‘It’s worse than that. You’d better brace yourself.’

‘Oh yeah?’ She was thinking that he was just building up his part, getting ready to stiff her with an ever-bigger bill.

‘Yeah. We’re talking shitting on your own doorstep here. Not very clever.’

Now Lily wasn’t smiling. She straightened and clutched harder at the phone. ‘Who is it?’

‘You know Julia, Leo’s cousin?’

‘Yeah, I know her. Of course I do.’ Leo had a large extended family, all fairly close-knit. Unlike her own. All she had left–apart from Oli and Saz–was her mother. She thought again that she ought to call the old bat.

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